Playing Puzzle
by Ilpo-daughter
Summary: Matt and Near spend more time together, due to Mello throwing all sorts of fits and trying to show Near up and end up playing all sorts of fun games, including puzzles and DDR.
1. Puzzles

Author's Note: Ummm, this is my first fic, so if you review, please be gentle. This is based off of various conversations my friends and I have, combined with an idea from my sister, who suddenly developed a puzzle fetish over this past summer and repeatedly asked me to come 'play puzzle' with her. That phrase just struck me as something Near might say... I also gave a friend of mine permission to post this story on some LiveJournal Death Note communities, so if you happen to see this somewhere on LiveJournal, it's fine, I know about it and it's not plagiarized. Beyond that, enjoy(I hope)!

Warnings: Rated T for swearing(on Mello's part) and spoilers for Near's, Matt's, and Mello's names.

* * *

The small albino boy sat on the floor putting a puzzle as white as him together, piece by piece, never hesitating. Two fingers twiddled incessantly with a small piece of snow-colored hair. From the next room he could hear the piercing screams of his self-proclaimed rival's frustrations. As his temperamental neighbor threw yet another object, a rather large object, judging from the dull **thud** it made as it hit their shared wall, Near got to his feet and padded softly out into the hall on socked feet. 

He stopped in front of the door next to his, listening for a moment. From across the hall, another door opened and a yellow-goggled redhead poked his head out.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! STUPID, SHITTY-" _**SLAM!**_

Near softly knocked. "Mello, whenever I am upset and not thinking clearly, I like to put together a puzzle or two to calm down," he softly stated. His hand unconsciously crept back up the side of his face, and he resumed twirling his hair. "Would you like to come play puzzle with me?"

The only sounds that now came from the suddenly silent room were stomping, until the door was thrown open to reveal an angrily flushed Mello. "Go. Away."

"Are you sure? You seem like you could use the-" the pearl-white boy began, sounding almost bored.

"FUCK YOU, NEAR!"

Leaving one hand in his hair, Near reached toward the door again to knock when another hand touched him on the shoulder.

"Near, you'd best leave him alone. You know he doesn't like you in the first place, and since you're the reason he's so angry right now, you'll only make him worse." Matt had silently crept from his room to attempt to prevent his best friend from possibly devouring the marshmallow-white boy in his rage.

"I don't see why he's in such a bad mood. I only outscored him on the exam by four points, I certainly wasn't trying to anger him."

"C'mon, Near," Matt sighed. "I just got a new video game, but it's better with two players, and since Mello's in a pet right now, how about you help me try it out? If you do, I'll- how did you put it? – 'play puzzle' with you, if you like. Besides, Mello'll calm down faster if he's left alone."

"Very well," the small white figure monotoned, turning to follow Matt to his room.

A minute later found the two in front of a TV, Near with one knee drawn up to his chest, the other leg off to the side. Matt had flopped onto his bed and now hung upside-down off the edge, teaching Near the controls. "Ok, you press the X button here to jump, the square to throw your projectiles, the triangle to charge your special attack, and the O button to attack. Also, this button" he pointed out a button on the top of the controller, "will scroll through your weapons, and the one right behind it," Matt pointed again, "is your defend button. Got it?" He received a single nod from Near, who glowed ghost-like in the near-darkness. "Ok, you ready?" Another nod.

Several rounds later Near broke the almost ritual silence. "Matt, I'm not trying to make Mello feel incompetent, no matter what he thinks. However, if he is ever to be the best, that means he must do better than the current best, and if that's me, I'm not going to make it easy for him just because he wants to be number one. That way, when he 'wins,' he will have earned it and not had it handed to him." The white-haired boy had ruined the effect of this heartfelt (by his standards, anyway) speech by stating it in his usual monotone in the middle of another battle, when Matt was too engrossed by the game to really hear.

"Yeah," the avid gamer muttered distractedly. A moment later, Near's character lay on the simulated game-ground, dead. "Mello's just frustrated because no matter how hard he tries, he never can seem to do better than you." So much for Matt not listening.

"Hmm. I believe you have tested your game out enough to satisfy your curiosity about its contents, yes? Shall we go play puzzle now?"

"All right, I suppose."

They quickly shielded their eyes against the brightly-lit hallway and quietly sneaked past Mello's door, listening to his infrequent mutterings for a minute before continuing to Near's room. On the floor lay the half-finished puzzle Near had been working on before Mello's tantrum had distracted him. Matt silently stretched out on the floor on one side of the puzzle, Near sat on the other side, and they quickly settled into a familiar pattern; Near quickly locating and placing one piece, Matt hunting for a few minutes to find one that would fit somewhere, but, more often than not, having to build onto his little puzzle island that didn't fit anywhere yet, while Near waited patiently, still fiddling with his hair.

Neither of them noticed Mello's muttering had died down until Mello kicked in Near's door and began screaming profanity at the very startled pair.

"What the FUCK, Matt?! I go to your room to play your stupid new game with you to take my mind off things, and I find that you've already PLAYED IT WITHOUT ME and now you're hanging out with that- that- that THING!!! What the BLOODY HELL do you think you're doing, anyway?!"

"We- we're playing p-puzzle," stammered Matt, a puzzle piece still in his fingers.

"What are you, three?? Let's go!"

"Mello, what are you- " Matt was cut off by Mello grabbing him by the scruff of his vest and dragging him out of the room behind him. Matt made no effort to get away, he was too busy trying to breathe.

"Later- ACK! Near-" Matt was cut off by Mello jerking on the vest violently forward to prevent him from talking to Near anymore. Mello shot Near a venomous glare when he saw him waving forlornly to Matt and slammed the door shut again.

After Near heard the ill-tempered blond's door shut again, he played puzzle some more through a few minutes of Mello's screaming before he came to a perplexed halt. He then realized that Matt still had the last puzzle piece!

Digging beneath his bed and emerging with a package, Near quickly scribbled a note on a piece of paper and taped it on top of the package, which he left in front of Mello's door before knocking again and scampering off to his room again, an impish smile barely concealed on his face.

_Mihael,_

_I apologize for upsetting you earlier, it was unintentional. This is why I wanted you to play puzzle with me earlier, you wouldn't accept my birthday present to you. Please, instruct Mail to return the last piece of the puzzle we were working on, its incompletion irks me. Also, inform Mail that he is welcome to come work on another puzzle with me if he wishes._

_-Nate_

Mello's enraged cry of "NEAR! I'LL _KILL_ YOU!!" informed the afore-threatened genius-in-training that Mello had not only found the package and read the note, but had opened the box to find a 1,000-piece puzzle made entirely of chocolate.


	2. Video Games

Author's Note: This was based almost solely upon how my friends and I thought the Wammy's trio and L would play Dance Dance Revolution, if they played at all. So, constructive criticism is welcomed, provided it is constructive... Umm, other than that little note, enjoy!

* * *

Matt and Near sat on the younger boy's floor again, putting together another puzzle- this one with a "beautiful picture of the best food in the world: strawberry cake" courtesy of L, their eccentric, malnourished mentor. That fact alone made it a new favorite of the pair, who had been spending more time together recently.

"Hey, Near," Matt broke the quiet peace of the room, "do you want to play a video game I just got last month? All of this sitting is starting to make me stiff."

"What game?" asked Near, looking like a small polar bear in his white pajama-like clothing, the tiniest hint of curiosity tangible in his voice.

"How about… Soul Calibur?"

"You play that game all the time, whether you have a second player or not."

"Then what do you want to play?"

"Why not ask Mello? He IS your best friend, after all." Near twirled his hair between two fingers, placing another piece of the puzzle, completing a strawberry on top of the pictured cake.

"Mello's been studying obsessively, trying to beat you, and I don't want to go study with him. So now you get to play video games with me."

"So, I'm your last resort, then."

"N-No! Roger is!" Matt insisted, his face reddening. "Well, my only options are you and Mello, and you know how Mello gets…"

Near nodded. "What is the name of that game he was bragging about winning?"

Matt made a face. "Dance Dance Revolution," he spat out, as if the very name hurt his mouth to speak.

"Yes," Near mused, a piece of his cloud-white hair entwined in his fingers. "Yes, I would like to try this game." He got to his feet and started walking for the door. When he didn't hear Matt follow him, Near turned around, walked back to the goggled boy and poked him in the back of the head. "Would you rather complete this puzzle?"

"Oh, _fine,_" Matt groaned, getting to his feet. Once in Matt's room, Near sat in the middle of some mat-type thing with arrows pointing up, down, left, and right.

"Near, you're sitting on my mat,"

"I wasn't aware you were going to sit on one." Near moved to Matt's bed, giving him a slight inquisitive look.

"Near, these mats aren't used for sitting, they're the controllers for the game. You have to use your feet to press the appropriate arrow at the right time. They've got the arrows arranged in a pattern that, if you can get them all correctly, it almost seems like you're dancing." Matt glared spitefully at the game case sitting innocently atop his television as he turned his game system on.

"Hmmm," Near mused, winding his hair around a finger in thought.

"Yeah… Mello's pretty good at this game, that's why he bought it." The taller boy shifted uncomfortably as the game loaded. "Um, you need to stand in the middle of the other mat, Near. In the circle, right where I am on this one…"

After a few songs, Near seemed to get the idea of what he was supposed to be doing, and began to improve, but Matt had no rhythm, and no matter how hard he tried(which wasn't very hard, he hated the game), he failed every song. In the middle of another song the goggled boy wasn't trying very hard on, Mello burst into his room.

"MATT!! Guess who's her-" The blond stopped and glared at the small albino-child on the mat he usually played on. "NEAR!" he bellowed in rage, shoving the younger genius to the floor. He then turned his rage to the redhead. "MATT! This is MY game! _I_ bought it! WHY are you letting HIM play with you?!"

Near climbed onto Matt's bed, distracted by the man hovering in the doorway. "Mello, it's not kind to shove others. Did we not teach you that yet? Is it any wonder you are still behind Near?" murmured the disheveled, raccoon-looking man. At this admonition, Mello spun around.

"I'm sorry, L, but…"

"Apologies to me are useless. You did not shove me," the detective commented, shuffling across the room, past Matt, who, on his own on the game, was to the point of failure, to stand next to Near pointedly.

"But- But-" Mello spluttered. "The cotton ball is fine!"

"_Mello_." L said sternly.

"He doesn't even want an apology! LOOK!" He pointed at Near who was gazing in admiration at the panda-detective who is L. Finally the younger boy found his voice.

"It is fine. Mello did not hurt me." Mello sneered at the backwards insult and vowed that the next time he shoved Near, it would make him BLEED. Or possibly break a bone. _Something_ that would make Near remember not to do whatever it was that Mello would be pushing him for. He almost began to daydream about these various situations when L's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Mello needs to learn to respect others. Especially those who he is not so fond of." Matt finished dying on the song he and Near had been playing peacefully only a minute before and went over to his friend.

"Hey, just apologize, ok?"

"FINE!!" The blond shouted, stalking over to the 'cotton ball'. "I suppose I have to be sorry, Near," he muttered, closing his eyes to disguise his rolling them.

Then they snapped open as he had an idea. "Hey, Near, you want to play with me?" he gestured to the recently abandoned video game, barely concealing a smirk. _This_ was something he could beat that little dust mite at!

And he did.

Ignoring Mello's glee, Near sat back on the mattress next to its owner. The oldest boy's cheers fell silent and the three boys gawked as their mussy, raven-haired mentor crouched in the middle of Near's vacated mat on his bare toes and stated "I would like to try this game. Would you be so kind as to play with me, Mello?"

"Uh, s-sure, L." stammered the stunned prodigy. "But, you're supposed to play using your feet…" Mello trailed off, hearing L's tone of certainty.

"I will be fine. Just start the game." And L was fine. Better than Mello, even. Despite remaining in his crouch in the middle of the mat, balanced precariously on his toes, the detective did not miss a single step, opting to press the buttons with the tips of his fingers instead of with his feet.

The top three Wammy's students stared at L with even more awe as he began to speak.

"Now, boys, I assume you know about the criminals from all over the globe dying of heart attacks. I have begun investigating these deaths and have come to the conclusion that the culprit is somewhere in Japan. I am headed there tomorrow and…"


	3. Sock Puppets

Author's Note- Yeah, um, please don't ask about the change in username, I'm rather paranoid and don't wish for certain people I know who will probably be reading Death Note fanfiction soon to know it's me... I'd prefer to stay anonymous. XD Having said that, all I have to say about this chapter is that it was inspired by my English teacher and an inside joke.

* * *

Some years earlier…

It was another peaceful day at Wammy's House… Until another test was handed out and Near had, once again, outscored Mello on another exam. Having only been recently brought to the orphanage, 8-year old Mello was never really in a good mood, but being outscored on a trigonometry exam(again) by some albino freak two years his junior did not help his mood in the least. But, when the little dandelion puff beat him on a German examination, Mello lost any and all self-control he had. He was a _native speaker_ of the language, for God's sake!!

The pounding in his head overwhelmed any coherent thought he tried to make, and the next thing he knew, the teacher, whose name he still hadn't bothered to remember, and one of the kids nearby were pulling him off of the now slightly bleeding child.

"Mello, what are you _doing_?! You could have seriously hurt him!" The kid who helped restrain him was now yelling at him. _What was that kid's name again…? Mark… Miles… Matt? Matt sounds about right._

Mello could have, perhaps, forgiven the small snowpuff if he had at least looked shaken, frightened, _somehow_ affected by his uncontrolled attack, but, no. The little snot had the nerve to just _sit_ there, calmly dabbing his bleeding mouth with a tissue, not even letting any get on his infuriatingly white clothes. He didn't even seem fazed that one of his teeth had been knocked out, he had just set it aside on an extra tissue that was probably never even going to be used, anyway. He observed the kid, and he wasn't bleeding very much at all. _The tooth was probably about to come out,_ he concluded. _I hope._

Mello didn't know how he never managed to get his clothes even slightly dirty, not even his white socks. It wasn't like he wore shoes around the orphanage, and the janitors wouldn't, couldn't _possibly_ walk around in front of him all day, every day, cleaning the way so his clothes wouldn't get stained. Right?

All Mello wanted to see was that seemingly perfect, _angelic_, as he'd heard some group of older girls once call him, little boy brought down to the same level as the rest of them, to the same level as _humans._ A kid that young and that smart couldn't possibly be human… Maybe he was a robot, brought here to push everybody else to be better… But, how did that explain the fact that he was bleeding…?

Mello growled and tried to lunge toward the robot-child again for some sort of proof that he was human, just like the rest of them, forgetting that he was still being held by the arms by the teacher and that Matt boy.

Now he could swear the kid was _smirking_ at him!

… This was how Mello and Near found themselves in an office with the founder of the orphanage, Mr. Wammy himself. An office filled with boxes of toys, obviously used to give children counseling.

"Now, boys, I want you to talk this disagreement out. Use the toys if you need to, but we are not leaving this room until you have some sort of understanding."

Near, completely ignoring the 'reach an agreement' part, had pulled out several sock puppets from the indicated box and began playing with them silently, ignoring the other two occupants of the room.

Mello sneered and muttered "It's his fault. If he was just a little more _human_-"

"Mello, Near, this is not going to get you out of this room. I-" Just then, a light flashed and a voice sounded in the room, accompanied by a giant L on a screen neither boy had noticed.

"Watari, I believe I asked for my cake a while ago. Did I not?" The voice sounded confused, as though it did not know if it had made the request.

The old man pressed a button and spoke into a microphone. "Ah, sorry, L. Some of the students were fighting-"

"I was not fighting, Mello repeatedly tried to attack me, for a reason unknown to me. I believe he was swearing at me in German, though I cannot be certain." Near corrected in a monotone.

"He's like some sort of _robot_! He can't possibly be human! And there's no way I can come to an understanding with a machine!! Machines don't understand _anything!!_" Mello was determined to get his opinion heard, too.

"Ah, Near and… Mello, was it? Hmm, so young, and already so talented, the both of them…" the voice mused. "Watari, I would like to speak with you in private, and please bring my cake."

"Uh, L, are you-"

"I am sure they will be fine if the door is locked. If you wish, I will continue to monitor them while you are away from the room."

"No, that's fine. You have more important things to do than watch these two. I will be up shortly with your cake." The old man cut off the connection and turned to the two boys. "Now, I don't believe I have to tell you two to behave and sort things out while I'm gone." Then he left, muttering something about the detective's sweet withdrawals.

Near simply sat and played with the sock puppets. He appeared to be having a mute conversation with them, as his mouth would move, forming words, but no sound would escape his lips. Then one of the sock puppets would 'talk,' again, without any sound.

_What a freak…_ Mello thought, looking away to study the room. After several minutes, he got bored and turned back to the younger boy.

"Erm, I'm… sorry, I guess… About attacking you and knocking out your tooth, and all…" The blond just wanted out of there, and if apologizing, no matter how insincerely done, would get him out, he would apologize.

Near looked up in surprise. "Hmm? Why are you sorry? I should thank you, that tooth was really loose, but I didn't want to pull it out."

"Oh, well, um, I'm sorry, anyway, if it'll get me out of here." _So I was right! Maybe I won't get in any real trouble for this, after all! _Mello crowed internally.

"L, may we leave this room now? I rather need to use the restroom," Near addressed the general area of the screen the L had appeared on, as though expecting a response.

"There is about a ninety percent chance that we would be not be left entirely alone, without any type of supervision whatsoever. Of course, if we fall in that remaining ten percent, I do not know what will happen." Near explained upon seeing the older boy's confusion.

"You could use that plant in the corner," Mello snickered.

Just then, the screen lit up, decorated by the same L as before. "Actually, the chance of you two being left alone, unmonitored, was about six point two percent. Near was quite right, however, that you were being monitored. Watari and Roger will be pleased to know you have resolved this conflict so quickly. However, please do not use Watari's plant, Near. And please do not suggest to him that he use the plant, Mello. Watari loves that plant more than any of his children and it gets watered plenty. You may both leave the room, if you wish."

Mello headed for the door, red-faced at the gentle rebuke. Near slowly got to his feet and began shuffling to the door as well.

"What are you going to do, play with the sock puppets in the bathroom as well?" Near had neglected to remove the stockings from his hands and Mello was looking for any reason to re-establish his intense dislike for the younger child. The puppets were removed and replaced in their box before Near followed his fellow captive out of the room.

A week later, Mello was waiting outside the bathroom he shared with several other Wammy's House kids, only the person in there had been in there for the past 20 minutes! He squirmed uncomfortably, trying to hold it in. He knocked a few more times before finally yelling "You have two more minutes before I open the door and pee _on your face!_" The bathroom doors did not have locks, and everyone was supposed to respect others' privacy, but this was ridiculous! After the two minutes were up, Mello burst into the bathroom, his words of rage replaced by a look of disturbed shock. "What… are you two _doing?_" he managed to whisper. Matt and Near sat on the tiled floor, Matt's shoes in the corner. Both of their feet were bare… Both of them were wearing their socks on their hands.

"We're playing with sock puppets, Mello." Near stated.

"I-In the _bathroom?_" Mello was aghast.

"Yeah, the bathroom's the only place to play with sock puppets. It's so peaceful and quiet. Nobody ever thinks to look for you here." Matt chimed in, a slight smile on his face.

"These puppets are not as nice as the ones Mr. Wammy has, though," Near mused mournfully, the sock on his hand undecorated.

"Well, it's peaceful until you get some _idiot_ pounding on the door and yelling, anyway." Matt glared accusingly at the blond through his goggles until he backed away, a disgusted look on his face.

"I- I think I'll find another restroom to use."

Matt barely managed to hold his laughter in until Mello was out of earshot.


	4. The Game

Author's Note- Um, I don't have much to say about this one... Sorry.

* * *

Mello sat on Matt's bed, his nose buried in a textbook, Extremely Advanced Rocket Science for Extremely Advanced Young Genii. Obviously whoever titled the book didn't give it much thought, knowing the book was already advanced enough. Mello winced every time a beep came from the television, it was so distracting! In response to every few beeps, he snapped off another piece of chocolate from the bar in his hand with his mouth.

Matt and Near sat on the floor, the former playing his video games, the latter curled up, putting together a puzzle, occasionally looking up and observing the game before finding more interest in the jigsaw again.

Suddenly the blond looked up from his obsessive studying. "Hey! I've got a game we can all play. And you don't even have to do anything, Matt." He added, seeing his best friend about to protest. "In fact, that's the point. And you can play, too, Near." A small glint appeared in his eyes. Maybe this was what he would beat his long-time rival at!

The small albino looked at Mello inquisitively, his head tilted to one side slightly. "How do we play this game of yours?"

"Well, when you think of The Game, you lose. When-"

"So, the point is to not think of the game?" Matt paused his video game, intrigued by his best friend's idea.

"Was that not the implication?" Near shifted on the floor to get a better look at the other boy. "Please, continue, Mello," he added, sensing the chocolate-lover's impatience.

The oldest of the three sneered in annoyance at the two, but soon, thoughts of victory over the youngest forced him to proceed. "When you lose The Game, you must announce it right away, and loud enough that any other players in the same room can hear. Upon losing, you have to wait 20 minutes before a new game can begin. Once you begin playing, however, you cannot stop. So, let's play. At 1:28, the first game will begin!"

"Yeah, ok, sure, Mel." The redhead turned back to his game and resumed his fight with some sort of large dragon-type thing.

Mello turned smugly back to his studies, determined to finally be number one at something. However, less than an hour later, his goggled best friend suddenly exclaimed, "YES! I beat the game! I-"

"MATT! I just lost the game! _Thanks_ for reminding me!" Mello slammed his book down onto his lap, breaking his chocolate bar in his exasperation. Well, at least there would be plenty of other opportunities to win.

Near glanced at the older boy before turning to the gamer. "I thought you had already beaten the game, Matt,"  
"Yeah, but I just beat my previous best time! This time it took me 8 minutes and 42 seconds less than before!"

Mello grabbed his book and left the room. On his way out, he hit the reset button on Matt's game console, ignoring the howls of protest that followed him into the hall. "MELLOOOOOOOOOO, I didn't even get to _save_ yet!"

The next day, the three boys sat in class, listening to the teacher drone on and on about some subject they had already learned, and were probably more capable of teaching than their instructor. Well, Near and Mello had already learned it. Matt just didn't care to learn it, and had instead opted to hide his Nintendo DS under his desk and rescue Princess Peach from the clutches of Bowser.

_Really, somebody should teach Peach to take care of herself. Or maybe she needed to learn to avoid mutated turtle-dog things. Honestly, doesn't she have any common sense? How many times does she need to be kidnapped before she learns that Bowser is _not_ her friend??_

"So, as we can all see, the test subject has not responded as we originally thought, and in order to isolate the factor that contributed to this, what must we do?" Mello began doodling on his notebook as the teacher scanned the room for a victim and quickly spotted one.

"Matt!"

"C'mon, _move_, Mario, you fat, lazy piece of-" All eyes fell on the unsuspecting genius who was still absorbed in his game. Finally, Mello took pity on Matt and kicked him.

"What the _hell_ do you want? Can't you see I'm busy, Mello?" Matt hissed.

"Matt, what should we do?" their instructor asked patiently.

"Erm, we shouldn't _kick me_, to begin with. Next we should… Oh, just give me detention already. We both know I wasn't paying attention." He turned back to his game, unconcerned.

Detention was uneventful. Well, if Matt playing more games to the point where Mello ripped them from his hands, threw them across the room and lost The Game again, subsequently earning the pair another detention can be called uneventful.

Later, after the uneventful detention, in Matt's room again, the youngest played with random robots while the other two studied, Matt having been intimidated into studying with Mello. None of the boys noticed when, after some time, a small girl slipped into the room with them and sat in the closet, watching the redheaded genius with large brown eyes.

"Ugh, sorry, but I just can't study anymore. I can't concentrate!" as Matt began reaching to turn on the television, Mello's eyes narrowed, so he picked up one of Near's robots.

"Um, can I play with this?" he asked sheepishly. Near shrugged. "So, what's going on with the robots?"

"This robot killed this robot, and now he's about to kill the robot you're holding. Perhaps you would like to have a different one." The cotton-white boy monotoned.

"Well, why can't this one live? What did he do wrong?"

"He knew too much."

"Oooooo-kay… Well, then, which one isn't going to die?"

"That remains to be seen. This robot is all alone in trying to stop that one from killing the others, but whether or not he does has not been decided yet. You may play this one, if you wish." Near offered the robot. Mello snickered from behind his book.

"Yeah, ok. Sure." However, soon Matt got lost in whatever plot the smaller boy was developing, and had to keep asking what was going on.

After the 7th query, Mello finally began laughing. "Sheesh, Matt, even _I_ can tell what's happening, and I'm not even paying attention!"

"Then perhaps you'll tell him what just occurred."

"Well, that one was just killed, so you can put him down, Matt. Your other one was killed a long time ago, and now Near's main robot-thing is wreaking havoc, deceiving the others and killing them off, one by one, with his amazing peanut-throwing dance moves. Oh, and the one you just put down, yeah, that one, was decapitated by a toothbrush that I can only assume was supposed to be a sword."

Matt looked in shock at the two toys in his hands, then to the other two boys.

"Hmm, amazingly accurate. Except for the sword. It was a toothbrush. And you missed the part where my samurai-robot killed off Princess Barbie."

"Wait, there was a Princess Barbie?" the older boys asked in unison.

"Of course. Why wouldn't there be?" Mello did not like the hint of smirk on Near's face.

"Well, where is she?" Matt asked in confusion.

"I didn't have an actual Barbie doll, so I used Mello as a stand-in." Near stated calmly.

Both boys blinked.

"_Mello_ was your Princess Barbie?" Matt started laughing so hard he fell on his back and hit his head on the floor. Mello, on the other hand, was not amused. After a moment of watching his so-called best friend on the floor in hysterics, a horrified look on his face, he fled the room with all the dignity he could muster, which, given the current jibe about his masculinity, wasn't very much at all. On his way out, he spotted something to his advantage and smirked. Now all he had to do was bide his time.

He waited until the dead of night, when even the computer genius would be asleep, to get his revenge. He sneaked into Matt's room and made a deal with the small, Matt-obsessed girl still hiding in his closet.

As soon as he heard her jump on the sleeping boy's bed, he fled, laughing maniacally before he heard her scream in joy "WAKEY-WAKEY, MATTY-PATTY!!" directly in his ear. Now _this_ was a game he could win at…

"Damnit," he swore under his breath. "I just lost the game again!"


	5. The End

"The man that was shot down has still not been identified"

That was Matt's car on the screen, no doubt. _I never thought you'd be killed. Forgive me._ Mello closed his eyes and allowed his thoughts to wander back to his time at Wammy's House, where they'd been best friends. Until he'd left, infuriated and devastated by L's death. Then his thoughts went to more recent events, their brief reunion before he ignorantly signed their death warrants…

_

* * *

_

_Thud. Thud. Thud._ Mello sat on the lumpy bed of his hotel room, pondering over the incomplete message Near had left him on the back of his photo. HIS photo! What gave him the right to _write_ on the back of _his_ photo?!

And why did he write 'Dear Mello' on the back? It almost sounded like he was starting a letter, because he sure as hell wasn't 'dear' to anybody, especially not _Near._ Not even Matt had ever dared put any sentimentality with his name. Which could only mean that it was meant to bring his attention to something. And speaking of Matt…

_Thud. Thud. Thud._ A moan came through the thin walls. He glanced up in irritation as a particularly loud grunt accompanied by even louder and more frequent _THUDS _invaded his (not-so) virgin ears.

Mello pulled out his gun from the front of his pants (having only stored it there because it was convenient and to try to get some sort of reaction out of the normally expressionless kid he had just seen not an hour ago. No such luck.). _**BLAMBLAMBLAM!**_ He quickly fired three shots into the wall. Ignoring the shouts of anger and fear from the next room, Mello waved the picture close to the heated muzzle of the gun.

"Just as I thought," he muttered, watching letters form on the paper. "Lemon juice." He waited a moment for the letters (and, it seemed, numbers) to fully appear before he looked. It was an address… But, before he could note what the address was, there was a knock on his door.

"Honey, if you was jealous, you should'a said somethin'. I'd'a been happy to make some time fer yous, too," a voice drawled outside. "There wasn't no need to go shootin' up the wall, you could'a hit somebody."

Mello opened the door to reveal a hooker, both hair and clothes in disarray, looking every bit as eager as he was to get out of that place. She couldn't have been more than 20, and her previous client, leaning out of his doorway, looked well over 50, and plenty upset over his session being cut short. "What say you and me go and- Hey!" He had glanced at the picture again, only to see the writing fading, so he grabbed her purse from her hand, rifled through it, throwing unwanted things back into her face, until he came across what he wanted.

A pen. "What do you think you're do-" _**BLAM!**_ He fired another shot into the air, and waved the picture near the newly heated muzzle again, then copied over the letters that reformed in ink, using the girl's forehead to write on. "HEY!! That's MY-" Mello again interrupted her by cramming the pen into her scantily-clad cleavage and storming off, tucking his gun into the front of his pants again.

Ooops. The gun was still hot, and he barely managed to keep from yelping (and thus, destroying his perfectly dramatic exit) until he got to his car. Once in the driver's seat, he yanked the gun back out and quickly tossed it into the back. "Dammit" he hissed in pain. Now he would have to make _two_ stops, instead of the one he had planned on.

Mello pulled over at a random gas station with an ice chest outside and bought some, the biggest bag they sold. Back in the privacy of his car, he drove on, allowing the bag of ice a special spot in his lap, to soothe his still smarting burns. Being the middle of the night, no library was yet open for him to MapQuest the address, so he drove around randomly for about an hour before stumbling upon the right street, missing the turn to get on it, and cutting some little old lady off turning around and getting on it.

Next he spent 15 more minutes driving the road, squinting in the darkness to find the number written on the picture. When he finally got to the right building and found the right apartment (with considerably less trouble) nobody was home, or so it seemed. So he slumped to the dingy floor, and dozed off, the half-melted bag of ice still in his lap.

After a couple hours, he resumed his pounding until he got bored and kicked the door in, only to confirm his suspicions that the apartment was, indeed, empty. Only a lumpy mattress in the corner and some food in the cupboards gave evidence to its habitation. So, he helped himself to food (popcorn and leftover pizza) and collapsed onto the bed to get some actual sleep. After all, if Near sent him here, there must be some reason, and the owner of the apartment probably wouldn't kill him. Probably.

However, when Mello woke again and found the apartment still empty, he began to get annoyed. He poked around, ate more popcorn, then amused himself by trying to throw the unpopped seeds into an 'M' pattern, kind of like Zorro's 'Z,' to let people know he'd been there… Only it ended up looking more like a mutated 'N,' if squinted at properly. So he threw the empty bag at his mess, uncaring.

Damnit, he was so bored! _Why_ the hell had Near sent him here in the first place?

The halting of footsteps outside the recently kicked-in door caught his attention, so he glanced at the door, reaching for his trusty gun, in case of trouble.

"What the-?" Obviously the owner, face obscured by multiple bags, had discovered his no-longer-existent door. The bags were quickly dropped on the hallway floor, and in stepped an incredibly confused-looking Matt. Apparently very confused, because the next word out of his mouth was not what Mello had expected.

"Near?"

The blond blinked. Then froze, his hand on his gun. "Do I _look_ anything like the little whipped cream-puff?"

"Aha, no," Matt laughed nervously, yanking his bags into the apartment. "Near sent you, didn't he?" Then he got a good look at Mello, still frozen in place. "Dude, were you _that_ lonely while I was away? You shouldn't have had_ that_ much trouble finding some company. I mean, this isn't exactly the best part of town,"

Mello followed his gaze to his hand, and where it was positioned. "No, I was grabbing my gun-"

"Whatever you wanna call it, man, that's your business, but, seriously-" He was cut short by a real gun waved in his face. "Oh. _That_ kinda gun." He began putting "groceries" away- Snickers, more popcorn, ramen noodles, cheap beer, cigarettes, microwave macaroni, ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream. "So, Near send you? And why's the gun stashed _there_?" Matt glanced around to see what other damage had been done. "… Pick up your popcorn mess, and get rid of that… bag of water? What the hell?"

"… Yes, it's the last place anybody would think to look for it, and yes. A bag of water. It was a bag of ice, but it's not anymore." Mello pointedly kicked the popcorn seeds and bag out of the door and down the dingy hall a little way before coming back in.

"So, you're in contact with Near, then?"

"Yeah, we talk occasionally. Though most of the time it's just trying to get me to help him, not that he needs it." Mello snorted. Near, asking for help? Especially when he didn't need it? "Mello, I like to think he's kinda lonely. He's the youngest person in the SPK, and by far the smartest. So, yes, I talk to him."…

* * *

…Now all that was left to do was wait, he was sure he would die soon. Oh, well. At least he wouldn't go into the shadows alone. Matt would be there, too. That was something to look forward to. And as he felt the pain of a heart attack rip through his chest, another memory rose to mind, a happier one, one that made him feel calm about leaving Kira to Near. He'd already won; he'd beaten Near, if only for a moment.

_Mello. _He could almost hear Near's voice, even over the pain that threatened to split his torso in half. _Congratulations. You won. I believe I have just lost The Game._ He had barely concealed his smirk at the time, once he had realized what he was talking about. It was a victory, even if only a small one. But he had never turned around, just kept walking with the photo in his hand.

And so, he smirked as his vision faded from his eyes, until he realized something. _Damnit, I just lost again!!! _And his eyes widened once more in shock and horror.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, this is the end. Thanks to those who have read this, and an even begger thank-you to my reviewers. I had fun writing this, and I am so sorry for tormenting Mello so, but his final expression just lent itself to the very ending. I love him, I really do. Reviews are, as always, welcomed and adored. 


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